Establishment of a New Parish
In response to the ever growing population of the City of Santa Fe’s southside, the former Archbishop Robert F. Sanchez decreed the establishment of a new parish on January 1, 1990. He placed the new faith community under the protection of Our Lady of Peace—Santa Maria de la Paz—in his prayerful hope for peace among all peoples. Fr. Jerome Martinez y Alire was appointed founding pastor, a position he held for the first decade of the Community’s existence.  The new parish’s first Mass was held on January 13, 1990 in the gym of Piñon Elementary School at 2921 Camino de Los Caballos, approximately two miles from the current church site. Initial registration within the parish was about 250 families, and its geographic boundaries encompassed roughly the southwest portion of greater Santa Fe. 

Planning a New Church   
During the summer following the formation of the parish, Fr. Jerome called for volunteers to form a Building Committee which would direct the design and construction of our new church. By the end of summer in 1991 a single design concept had been developed which was in line with the Committee’s guiding principles:

• Primacy of a dedicated Worship Space— Our first priority is the construction of a dedicated worship environment. It will be our primary focus. If we can afford to build nothing else, we will build that.
• Liturgical Prayer— The worship environment must be, above all else, a place suitable for liturgical prayer. We will be guided by the norms of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal and Environment and Art in Catholic Worship.
• Flexible but not multipurpose— We acknowledge that good liturgy demands a certain flexibility of space, and that the worship space may be used for other events compatible with the nature of liturgy and prayer. On the other hand, the educational, social and recreational needs of our community will be served by other spaces.
• Devotional spaces—The worship space will give a home to spaces for personal, small group and devotional prayer, especially as they are practiced by the diverse cultures of the Southwest. The building will include religious artworks of the Southwest and areas for enshrining objects of devotion.
• Vernacular forms—We recognize and embrace the living tradition of Spanish Colonial Mission Style architecture, both in structure and furnishings.
• The land and native materials—The land and its history will guide our design. Our reverence for the land will be expressed in building location on the site, careful planning of landscaping, and an awareness of energy stewardship and the gift of light. Priority will be given to native materials in design and construction.
• People, diversity and barrier-free—The people of our community are our most precious gift. We will reverence this gift in a building which celebrates our cultural diversity, provides spaces of welcome and gathering, and is a barrier-free environment for those who are physically challenged or developmentally disabled.
• Time and durability—We see this space as a bridge to the future; we will build for generations, not decades. It is our hope that the space we build will one day take its place with the treasured churches of this land.
• Quality in craft and the human touch—We see quality in craft as an essential companion to our concern for durability. Paragraph 20 of Environment and Art in Catholic Worship will serve as a guideline in this matter. We would rather build less than sacrifice quality.
• Size of spaces—The worship space will have a sloped floor with seating for at least 800 people and an overflow space for an additional 100 people. The Gathering Space will be approximately one third the size of the Worship Space.

Parishioner Involvement
At every step of the way, parishioners had the opportunity to be involved in the building process. Among other things, the corbels in the Worship Space were carved by parishioners; the wall around the apple orchard was built by parishioners; and children were invited to help landscape by donating monies to purchase bushes for our Parish home. 

A Time to Build
A fundraising campaign “A Time to Build” took place from the fall of 1991 through the spring of 1992. By September 1992, the detailed design and costing phases were complete and ground was broken on February 28, 1993. The first liturgy in our new Parish home took place on June 11, 1994 and the church was formally dedicated by Archbishop Michael Sheehan on July 10, 1994. 

A Time to Grow
In 2000, our Parish saw the departure of Fr. Jerome and the arrival of Fr. Adam Ortega y Ortiz. In June 2001, the parish paid off its entire debt, seven years earlier than expected. Fr. Adam asked parishioners for their suggestions for the future. It was decided that a parish social center and a small chapel would be built. Thus the capital campaign “A Time to Grow” was established. In 2003, the San José Chapel, built to accommodate the need for a smaller worship space, was dedicated by Archbishop Michael J. Sheehan. This devotional space, harmoniously attached to the West end of the main church, is much more intimate and functional for liturgies such as daily Mass, weddings and funerals. The Social Center was also completed and dedicated in 2003. The hall serves as a gathering space for wedding or funeral receptions, parish dinners, youth events, retreats and meetings. 

A Time to Renew
In 2012, our Parish saw the departure of Fr. Adam and the arrival of Fr. Daniel M. Balizan. Our parish building was almost 20 years old and was now in need of repair and maintenance. Under Fr. Daniel’s leadership, our parish began the capital campaign “A Time to Renew” in 2016 to replace the brick floor pavers in the main church, refinish the chairs and pews, replace the lighting and dimming system and repair the parking lot. With the exception of the parking lot, all the projects have been completed.

The parish community of Santa Maria de la Paz grew from approximately 250 families in 1990 to over 1,850 registered families in 2019 when we celebrated our 25th Anniversary of the Church Edifice. At the time, five Masses were celebrated each weekend, including a bilingual Mass to accommodate our growing Hispanic population. Over 700 volunteers were active in approximately 40 various liturgical and non-liturgical ministries (Pre-COVID-19 numbers).

(Sources: Santa Maria de la Paz archives and ©ParishSoft)

Our Future
In 2022, our Parish saw the departure of Fr. Daniel and the appointment of Fr. Darrell J. Segura, Jr as our new pastor. We welcome Fr. Darrell with optimism and look toward the future with a shared commitment to fostering a thriving community, embracing positive transformation, and remaining steadfast in our shared journey of faith.

Our parish has been blessed with a history of outstanding parishioner commitment, investment and involvement. It’s our spiritual home where each lives for the other and all live for God.